Look over examples of her biomimetic principles applied to products in the slideshow located at http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/02/0209_green_biomimic/index_01.htm and write a short, one paragraph synopsis for each of your four favourite product designs. (4 paragraphs) Avian Elements High-Speed Train By reaching speeds of up to 200 mph, Japan's 500 Series Shinkansen is one of the fastest bullet trains in the world. However, the ability to reach such high speeds comes with the issue of a tremendous amount of noise. Two aspects were adapted from nature as a solution to this problem. Owl feathers were taken into account when designing the trains’ pantograph (“the component that connects to overhead electrical wires”). The second aspect was the beak from a kingfisher as the amount of resistance is reduced due to the shape in turn reducing the sonic boom from the train leaves a tunnel. Echolocation Sonar-Enabled Cane The ability for bats to manoeuvre around caves with little to no sight is quite interesting. This skill has been implemented in the design of a cane for visually impaired individuals. The cane sends out sound waves which then provide feedback through the handle of the cane to the individual alerting them about their surroundings. The user can then navigate through traffic and be able to better understand who and what is around them. Skeleton Key Bone Furniture Human bones are the inspiration for the next concept. Known to be very strong, the structure and design of bones has inspired Joris Laarman to invent a line of furniture using the makeup of bones. Even though hollow, the furniture provides tremendous support and has inspired the concept to be adapted in other industries such as automotive (GM). Leaving No Trace Self-Cleaning Paint The German company Sto has invented a line of paint which repels water and in turns washed away any excess dirt. The design of this paint was based off of the surface structure of Lotus leaves and their ability to let water roll off of them. Write three paragraphs defining how, according to Janine Benyus, "the simple, elegant mechanics developed by nature often make sense in a human context, too". (3 paragraphs) Janine Benyus proposes how the natural functions of the Earth can be utilized in man-made objects to increase effectiveness and efficiency. She claims that Mother Nature has worked wonders with the different species of the world and that as humans we can use those tactics as guidelines and implement them in our own ways. We has humans are a part of nature, but as time has progressed we for some reason see ourselves as separate; either as opposed to it (pollution) or as a saviour of it, however never as one with it. This is why we may have not looked to its ways before and how we can learn a better way of doing things. One example that Benyus presented in her lecture was of the Locust, a type of grasshopper. “There can be 80 million of them in one square kilometre”. She uses the example of the locust because so many of them can travel together in such a tight area and yet they never collide “and yet we have 3.6 million car collisions a year”. She explains how it’s because of a neuron and how someone is working on a circuitry which will be used to limit collisions. Insects have been doing their ways of living for hundreds of millions of years, way before humans ever existed. If they have been able to generate a way to travel in synch with perfection, then why not use their ways to benefit ourselves. “The simple, elegant mechanics” are all we need ourselves. No reason to find complex ways of doing things and come up with new ideas. There are hundreds of ideas already in existence which we can adapt ourselves to. We just have to know where to look : Nature.
Avian Elements
High-Speed Train
By reaching speeds of up to 200 mph, Japan's 500 Series Shinkansen is one of the fastest bullet trains in the world. However, the ability to reach such high speeds comes with the issue of a tremendous amount of noise. Two aspects were adapted from nature as a solution to this problem. Owl feathers were taken into account when designing the trains’ pantograph (“the component that connects to overhead electrical wires”). The second aspect was the beak from a kingfisher as the amount of resistance is reduced due to the shape in turn reducing the sonic boom from the train leaves a tunnel.
Echolocation
Sonar-Enabled Cane
The ability for bats to manoeuvre around caves with little to no sight is quite interesting. This skill has been implemented in the design of a cane for visually impaired individuals. The cane sends out sound waves which then provide feedback through the handle of the cane to the individual alerting them about their surroundings. The user can then navigate through traffic and be able to better understand who and what is around them.
Skeleton Key
Bone Furniture
Human bones are the inspiration for the next concept. Known to be very strong, the structure and design of bones has inspired Joris Laarman to invent a line of furniture using the makeup of bones. Even though hollow, the furniture provides tremendous support and has inspired the concept to be adapted in other industries such as automotive (GM).
Leaving No Trace
Self-Cleaning Paint
The German company Sto has invented a line of paint which repels water and in turns washed away any excess dirt. The design of this paint was based off of the surface structure of Lotus leaves and their ability to let water roll off of them.
Write three paragraphs defining how, according to Janine Benyus, "the simple, elegant mechanics developed by nature often make sense in a human context, too". (3 paragraphs)
Janine Benyus proposes how the natural functions of the Earth can be utilized in man-made objects to increase effectiveness and efficiency. She claims that Mother Nature has worked wonders with the different species of the world and that as humans we can use those tactics as guidelines and implement them in our own ways. We has humans are a part of nature, but as time has progressed we for some reason see ourselves as separate; either as opposed to it (pollution) or as a saviour of it, however never as one with it. This is why we may have not looked to its ways before and how we can learn a better way of doing things.
One example that Benyus presented in her lecture was of the Locust, a type of grasshopper. “There can be 80 million of them in one square kilometre”. She uses the example of the locust because so many of them can travel together in such a tight area and yet they never collide “and yet we have 3.6 million car collisions a year”. She explains how it’s because of a neuron and how someone is working on a circuitry which will be used to limit collisions. Insects have been doing their ways of living for hundreds of millions of years, way before humans ever existed. If they have been able to generate a way to travel in synch with perfection, then why not use their ways to benefit ourselves.
“The simple, elegant mechanics” are all we need ourselves. No reason to find complex ways of doing things and come up with new ideas. There are hundreds of ideas already in existence which we can adapt ourselves to. We just have to know where to look : Nature.